Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1887-05-31

Atlsnta Constitution.

WBSIEbN DNARB HARM.
Atlsnta Constitution.
Your correspondent last SUNDAY
visited the celebrated snake farm
"hattlesnake Forty"-near this vii.
lage, owned and managed BY Captain
Dan Slower and wife, and assisted by
william Dunn, agent ct the Illinois
Central depot. 1t might be surmised
that the breeding and propagation OF
rattlesnakes and other reptiles was not
only q dangerous but an unpleasant,
occupation. However, these poor but
honest people have learned that there
/ 10 money in snakes. and last year thew
cleared almost enough from their sales
to pay the expenses of the family OF
four.
"Who buys rattlesnakes and what
on earth do they want with themr'
You ask.
Why, for use in the manufacture of
the new cure for rheumatism. A firm
In Philadelphia uses the oil in their
remedy, and pays a good price for
every rattlesnake delivered at their
laboratory. Mr.. Slower has contracted
with the firm 10 furnish them $50 of
that species during the present season
at $2.25 each, none to measure less
than four feet in length, or to he less
than six years of age. The older the
snake, the better and stronger the oil.
Sunday the sun shone out bright
and warm, which brought out the
snakes in large numbers to bask in the
warm rays, and as Dir. Slower said,
would be q good day to take q stroll
over "rattlesnake forty" Procuring
a good stout stick and dOnning heavy
pair of boots, your correspondent Join.
ed Slower and Dunn in the hunt,
Dunn is a comparatively new man in
the snake business, and has had sew
eral narrow escapes from being bitten
by the deadly reptiles, but he is learn
ing fast.
To show US how easily it is to kill a
snake, he picked up blue racer by
the tail that was lying coiled up in the
sunlight in half comatose cond ition
and giving it couple of whirls over
his head in a lightning manner, he
cracked it like whip, causing its
head to part from its body and spin
through the air. Proceeding q little
further, we came to "the mounds"
little raised places on the snake farm,
where the snakes burrow in the win
ter and breed in summer. There are
thirty-seven of these mounds on the
farm, and ON the south side of one of
the largest Of these, where they could
get the full benefit of the sun, lay
coiled up sound asleep forty-three
large rattlesnakes, seven black snakes
and numerous other smaller reptiles,
not one of which seemed to recognize
our presence. Slower and Dunn do
not kill off the whole crop yearly, but
leave many for breeding purposes
"WEy," said the former, that
mound there contains probably dozen
nests of eggs, and each nest at least
ten eggs. have found nests that con.
tanned as high as eighteen young rat
tiers, the largest not over two inches
in length. Their eggs are about the
size of those of partridge, but have a
soft shell. The farm is q tract Of Vir-
ginia prairie, and has never seen a
pillow, and Dan says in summer its
native grass is very high, rendering it
an excellent place for the reptiles to
hide in"
After retiring to the house, the two|
snake breeders exhibited string Of
rattles several feet in length, which
they captured last summer, the whole
footing up 1853 rattles.
Some OF the snakes possessed twenty
five rattles and button, each rattle
counting a year to its age and the but \
ton fraction of a year.
Mrs Slower also had in box of !
sawdust under cook stove twenty
seven rattlesnake eggs, which, she
said, would begin to hatch in a few
days, after which event the children
would be kept busy catching flies to
feed the tiny pets.
Slower and Dunn have several pet
rattlers around the house, which are
as harmless as kittens, made so by
their poison sac having been removed
from the roofs of their mouths and
their fangs clipped with pincers, all
this being done while the SNAKES were!
under the influence of chloroform.
They have no equal as mice extermi-
majors, and in the summer keep the
place free from bugs, flies and bad
boys.
1t is needless to say the neighbors'
do not trouble the Stover]
on their premises,
Besides supplying the Philadelphia
firm with snakes for their use, the
breeders have filled orders for different
parties in all parts of the country,
mostly physicians. A doctor in St. |
Louis took several live pairs last sum-
mer at s. per pair.
Promising the boys a return to their
arm at some future time, when the
make season was more fully opened
Up, we took leave of the place, draw.
ng breath of relief as we did SO.
a Pretty WOman's secret.
LOOK YOUNG a. long as you can,
fQndanNv IN ~ ri n " loo ~ q cain 4, |